為了防堵社會排除侵蝕民主社會，以免造成更嚴重破壞，近年來歐洲社會政策的相關研究非常重視社會排除概念的檢討與運用。本論文主要以社會排除為概念工具，利用深度訪談法描述、分析失業者所面臨的多重社會不利處境，並探討社會關係網絡以及就業政策對失業者衝擊所提供的緩衝作用。研究發現失業必定造成收入減少，進一步影響消費市場的排除、社交娛樂參與及服務資源的使用。然而社會排除的經驗並不是單純由市場經濟構成的，還包括其他部分，如國家福利制度以及家庭與社會關係體系，這些制度或體系對失業可能產生緩和也可能產生惡化效果。因此，勞動市場排除不見得完全會陷入社會排除，失業者會因是否擁有社會支持以及獲得社會支持的強弱，而陷入不同類型的社會排除處境。據此，本研究依受訪者擁有正式社會支持與非正式社會支持的強弱，區別四大類型的失業經歷，而社會排除只是其中的一種。

In order to avoid the erosion of democracy by social exclusion, European scholars have painstakingly studied the policy implications of social exclusion. This article adopts social exclusion as a conceptual tool to describe and analyze a variety of social disadvantages encountered by unemployed workers. Based on the qualitative data derived from in-depth interviews of 25 unemployed workers in Kaohsiung and Pingtong, this article also investigates how social networks and benefits mechanisms work as a cushion to alleviate the strains caused by unemployment. Since social exclusion is a dynamic process which is substantially affected by the resources possessed by the individuals concerned, this article identifies four types of social adaptation, and social exclusion is treated as one of the four which would only adversely affects those who possess neither formal nor informal social support.